GLOBAL IMMERSION SERIES

Founded in 2014, Minerva Schools is designed around a new vision of higher education that combines a reinvented curriculum, rigorous academic standards, innovative technology, and an immersive global experience. Students study in seven different cities over the course of four years, where they engage with local civic partners to apply classroom knowledge to practical, real-world problems. Each film in this series highlights how classroom curriculum extends into the urban fabric and shapes their personal, professional and academic growth.

Runtime: Various

SOCIAL MEDIA FEATURES

"We have worked with Andrew Hida on a range of productions — all of which contributed to telling our brand's fast-evolving story to various audiences. Not only is he an exceptional auteur, with the full compliment of capabilities, but he is adaptive, able to work in multiple modes and collaborative settings. He brings a deep understanding of narrative, pacing, and visual composition, which he drew on to create and direct the Global Immersion series. These skills, coupled with his knowledge of reportage and experience with live, documentary productions make Andrew both a consummate professional and a true pleasure to work with."

BRIEF

The target audiences of this series are prospective students and the parents of these students who are seeking to better understand the Minerva global experience. We wanted the viewer to understand the full spectrum of daily life, from the demanding academics, to the immersive social and co-curricular activities. We needed to quickly convince the viewer why they belong at Minerva by telling the story of how the Minerva experience stands apart from that of the traditional university through personal stories of challenge and growth.

CHALLENGES AND RESULT

Over the course of two years, I have directed the first four short films in the Global Immersion series. Each subsequent episode pushes deeper into stories of personal and professional development as they come into their own. Instead of replicating the same mold for each episode, the storyline instead evolves in parallel to student growth and an evolving world view. This distinct approach enabled us to build on existing story and expand on emotional impact.

In order to achieve the authentic, cinematic documentary style that defines the Minerva brand, we assembled a team of cinematographers with a strong background in visual journalism. Weeks of creative design and pre-production proved essential to manage the complex timing and logistics of multiple shooters and photographers, navigating large, foreign cities.

Each episode was published to coincide with major application and admissions milestones. As part of a broader marketing campaign a series of 60-second cuts were also produced for social media engagement.